Mercury Drifthook
Drift Hook is one of the newest innovations from Mercury Marine. It allows boaters to set and hold the boat’s heading only, thus permitting the boat to drift with the wind or tide. This is a product that is primarily directed to anglers.

Key Features

Mercury Drifthook Captain's Report

During our test of the new Mercury Drift Hook feature, both captain and crew stepped away from the helm. The system maintained a heading, while the boat drifted with the current. This feature is particularly useful for anglers.

It eases the discomfort when drift fishing offshore in choppy conditions by pointing the bow to the wind, thus reducing the rolling moment of the boat and reducing spray caused when waves hit the side of the boat. Kite fishermen will like it because it will keep the boat pointed in the wind. Lone anglers may be able to use it when following a weed line.

The new Mercury joystick has an LED light ring at its base that illuminates when the system is active.

The Joystick

First, there’s the new Mercury joystick. All the features are built right into it. Move the throttles into neutral, and the joystick ring lights up to show it’s active. There’s also an LED indicator on top. Now we move to the Vessel View Screen to engage the Drift Hook feature.

The new Drift Hook feature is activated on the Vessel View screen.

The joystick has full connectivity with the Vessel View system. When the Drift Hook functionality is engaged on the side of the screen, the joystick lights up. Changes in the heading can also be made on the screen. This is just one of the many features of Mercury Marine’s new joystick system.

Is it Expensive?

Hardly. Drift Hook, along with some other features, are all available as downloadable updates to the existing joystick system and are displayed on the Vessel View screen, or repeated on the panel’s multifunction screens.